Port Ellen

Port Ellen
Port Ellen
Port Ellen is located in Argyll and Bute
Port Ellen
Port Ellen
Location within Argyll and Bute
Population810 (2022)[1]
OS grid referenceNR365455
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townISLE OF ISLAY
Postcode districtPA42
Dialling code01496
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°38′N 6°11′W / 55.63°N 6.18°W / 55.63; -6.18

Port Ellen (Scottish Gaelic: Port Ìlein) is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell.[2] Its previous name, Leòdamas, is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour".

Port Ellen is built around Leodamais Bay, Islay's main deep water harbour. It is the largest town on Islay, only slightly larger than Bowmore and provides the main ferry connection between Islay and the mainland, at Kennacraig. The Port Ellen Distillery was first established in the 1820s and ceased production of Scotch whisky in 1983. The large malting continues to produce for the majority of the distilleries on Islay.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. ^ The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. 2007. p. 546. ISBN 978-0-19-923482-0.
  3. ^ "Port Ellen". Isle of Islay. Retrieved 1 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Port Ellen Distillery". Islay Whisky. Retrieved 1 March 2009.